Patriots Wednesday Injury Report
Limited Participation in Practice:
LB Rosevelt Colvin (ankle)
CB Randall Gay (thigh)
RB Laurence Maroney (groin)
G Stephen Neal (shoulder)
WR Donte Stallworth (knee)
WR Kelley Washington (hamstring)
NT Vince Wilfork (shoulder)
S Eugene Wilson (ankle)
G Billy Yates (shoulder)
Full Participation in Practice:
QB Tom Brady (right shoulder)
NFL. Sammy Morris isn’t your ordinary backup running back.
It was originally believed that the 30-year-old, who was signed by the Patriots on March 3, would serve as nothing more than a glorified valet to starter Laurence Maroney. His presence would allow Maroney a chance to catch his breath, and give New England a chance to change up its offensive look on those rare occasions when Morris would be in the game.
But through three games, Morris has provided more than just depth at running back. He’s on pace for more than 150 carries, making him a partner to starter — and neighbor — Maroney.
“He’s been on top of his job and his assignments, and he’s performed them well, in the preseason games, practices and so far in the regular season,” Head Coach Bill Belichick said of Morris, who has averaged 11 carries a game through the first three weeks. Along the way, he’s posted 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
“He’s a good guy to work with, and he’s really a dependable guy. No question.”
“That’s flattering,” Morris said yesterday when told of Belichick’s comments. “When I come in every day, I just try to be me and just give my team all I’ve got.”
Morris has gotten plenty of run this year with his new team, but the idea of a partnership in the backfield is nothing new in Foxborough. Last year, Maroney (175 carries) and the since-retired Corey Dillon (199 carries) split featured-back duties, and were two of five players to end up rushing for at least 100 yards. And every year since Belichick first showed up in 2000, at least three Patriots have rushed for 100 yards or more.
But according to Belichick, few of those backs have shown the sort of versatility that Morris has displayed in his short time with the Patriots.
“He gets asked to do a lot of different things and he does them and he does them right,” said the head coach of Morris, who played with Miami and Buffalo before signing with the Patriots. “He’s versatile, smart, a tough kid, plays strong, has some speed and quickness to be able to play in the kicking game, play on third down [or] be a receiver.”
One of several new offensive options for quarterback Tom Brady this year — a group that includes wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker — Morris has impressed the quarterback with his abilities, especially his work in short-yardage situations.
“He’s powerful enough to move the pile, so if he sees anything, he kind of [lowers] his head and dives down there and always comes away with positive yards,” Brady said of Morris. “He’s always falling forward, too, so he’s been great.”
The Patriots rank fourth in the league in rushing with an average of 151.7 yards per game, and those numbers will likely increase when New England meets the Bengals Monday night in Cincinnati. In an attempt to keep the high-scoring Bengals’ offense on the sidelines as much as possible, New England will likely employ a ball-control offense, which means plenty of Maroney and Morris grinding out the tough yardage and bleeding the clock.
“We have to do our part to keep the defense off the field and eliminate turnovers,” Morris said of this week’s game plan. “Especially this week against a team that does so well at getting turnovers, it puts the onus a little more on us to play more ball control and play better in the red zone — to make sure we come out with six instead of three.”